Oakland Raiders vs. Buffalo Bills: Full Report Card Grades for Oakland
In the NFL, it’s difficult to keep an exceptionally explosive offensive team under wraps.
The Buffalo Bills found out the hard way after leading the Oakland Raiders 24-9 midway through the third quarter. After Bills running back Mike Gillislee scored his second touchdown, his teammates celebrated, almost excessively.
Clearly, head coach Rex Ryan didn’t show his team the Raiders’ film, which illustrates how lethal the offense can become when rallying for a comeback. Then again, maybe the Bills couldn’t stop what they expected to happen next.
As witnessed in the previous weeks, the Raiders didn’t execute for all 60 minutes, but they put together enough plays in the clutch to reverse momentum and seize the victory in the final quarter.
The Raiders racked up 29 unanswered points within 20 minutes, which devoured the 15-point lead the Bills built over the course of two-and-a-half quarters.
Despite allowing 212 rushing yards, the Raiders overcame their defensive deficiency and completely clamped down the Bills offense in the final 24 minutes of the contest. Buffalo’s offense lost its rhythm, and Oakland's defense successfully forced three-and-outs and punts to chip into the Bills’ time of possession.
The Raiders’ latest triumph highlights their ability to win in spite of showing a weakness up front. With an offense able to score in droves, a methodical approach doesn’t fare well when combined with turnovers against the Silver and Black. Oakland took the lead 30-24 and the defense forced a turnover on the Bills’ side of the field, which put the game on ice.
How did the Raiders fare in a micro view across the positional groups?
Quarterbacks
1 of 9
Similar to past weeks, the box score won’t tell the entire story about Derek Carr’s importance in taking the lead and closing the game. He didn’t look impressive in the first half but once the offense started to roll, he found his receivers for huge gains downfield.
In fairness to Carr, his receivers struggled to secure the football on routine catches, and a penalty wiped out a 51-yard pass play in the first half. Nonetheless, the Raiders’ signal-caller continued to put the ball in the right place for his receivers, and the pass-catchers finished drives in the end zone.
Grade: B+
Running Backs
2 of 9
The Raiders re-established their dominant ground attack last seen against the Denver Broncos in Week 9. Latavius Murray and Jalen Richard combined for 29 carries and 135 yards. Of course, the veteran fulfilled his role as the finisher with two touchdown runs inside the 5-yard line.
As the weeks go by, Richard adds more cement to solidify his place as the primary complementary asset in the backfield. He averaged 5.9 yards per carry as the flash to Murray’s boom. The Bills didn’t have an answer for the Raiders’ running back tandem.
Grade: A
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
3 of 9
The Raiders receivers should’ve finished with a better grade, but easy drops hurt the passing attack. Seth Roberts dropped as many passes as he caught on Sunday.
Amari Cooper became the seventh player to reach 2,000 receiving yards before reaching 23 years old. He only caught two passes, but the second catch put the Raiders in the driver’s seat with a 30-24 lead.
Michael Crabtree led the wide receiver group with seven catches for 74 yards, but he dropped an easy touchdown reception and followed up with an unnecessary taunting penalty. As the veteran among his counterparts, he must learn to avoid emotional infractions.
Mychal Rivera caught all three of his passes for first downs. He finished with 57 receiving yards.
Grade: B
Offensive Line
4 of 9
The past two opponents pushed Oakland’s front line around a bit. On Sunday, the unit stood its ground and put Buffalo's aggressive defensive line on its heels. Unlike the Bills offensive line, which crumbled under pressure late in the contest, the Raiders’ Carr Insurance kept the quarterback clean and opened lanes for the ground attack.
As a former Raider, Bills pass-rusher Lorenzo Alexander generated buzz due to his 10 sacks for the season. Oakland didn’t allow him to break his two-game sack drought. He finished with little impact on Sunday's overall outcome.
Grade: A
Defensive Line
5 of 9
If the Raiders were without edge-rusher Khalil Mack, who’s half man and half dominant creature, the defensive line would have finished with a failing grade. Bills running back LeSean McCoy deserves credit for his elusiveness and skill, but Gillislee also gashed the Raiders’ front line. He averaged 6.1 yards per carry to go along with his two touchdowns.
Overall, the Raiders allowed 212 yards on the ground, but Mack’s late strip-sack elevates the grade. The third-year pro notched his 10th sack of the season. He’s tied with five players for third place in the category.
Grade: C
Linebackers
6 of 9
Perry Riley returned at the perfect time to patrol the field sideline to sideline with McCoy active in the short passing attack. The veteran linebacker couldn’t do much to slow down the run, but he limited yards after the catch.
Lost in Mack’s sack madness, Bruce Irvin has put together a three-game sack streak. He’s also flashing frequently in the backfield for tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Quietly, he’s become a solid secondary pass-rusher to Mack, who’s putting away football games with strip-sacks.
Grade: B-
Defensive Backs
7 of 9
The Bills don’t have a strong wide receiver corps, but the Raiders defensive backs didn’t allow chunk yardage through the air. Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor only completed one pass for 20 yards or more in the contest. Wideout Sammy Watkins’ three catches for 38 yards became an afterthought.
The Raiders lost safety Karl Joseph before the end of the first half with a toe injury. Still, the secondary kept receptions and yards after the catch to a minimum. In the game’s defining moments, safety Nate Allen caught an interception off a tipped pass to put the offense in position to seal the victory.
Grade: A-
Special Teams
8 of 9
Kicker Sebastian Janikowski didn’t flinch and looked automatic between 41-47 yards out. The all-time leader in games played in Silver and Black drilled three field goals and three extra points.
Marquette King pinned the Bills inside the 20-yard line twice and booted a 60-yarder downfield. However, he drew an emotional penalty when he started to dance with the flag thrown for roughing the kicker.
Similar to Crabtree, King should know better. It’s not a big deal during a victory, but the Raiders must clean up unnecessary penalties as they push for the playoffs.
Grade: A-
Coaching Staff
9 of 9
Head coach Jack Del Rio has kept his team focused through a brutal schedule, which lined up four opponents in 17 days, starting with the Houston Texans on Nov. 21 and ending with the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 8. The Raiders have yet to experience a mental lapse despite the travel and in-game deficits.
Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave deserves a gold medal for the offensive firepower and the play-calling in the clutch, though a sector of fans wanted him fired last year. In the offseason, he may receive several calls from colleges for a head-coaching position.
After two quick third-quarter scores, defensive coordinator Ken Norton made necessary adjustments to shut down the Bills offense for the final 24 minutes. Despite Taylor moving the ball with the short passing attack, he didn’t eclipse 200 passing yards and only gained 5.5 yards per completion.
The Raiders defense continues to show improvement in bits and pieces. Though, it’s still striving for a complete game. Nonetheless, the group has a knack for forcing turnovers. Oakland ranks No. 7 in takeaways with 21 in total.
Grade: A-
Stats provided by NFL.com and Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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